Tratamiento para la infección por el VIH: Conceptos básicos
Key Points
- The treatment for HIV is called antiretroviral therapy (ART). ART involves taking a combination of HIV medicines daily, monthly, or every other month.
- While ART cannot cure HIV, prompt HIV treatment can help all people with HIV live long, healthy lives and reduce the risk of HIV transmission.
- One of the primary goals of HIV treatment is to reduce a person’s viral load to an undetectable level, which nearly eliminates the risk of transmitting HIV through sexual contact.
What is the treatment for HIV?
The treatment for HIV is called antiretroviral therapy (ART). ART involves taking a combination of HIV medicines (called an HIV treatment regimen) on a regular schedule, usually every day (pills) or once a month/every two months (injections).
ART is recommended for everyone who has HIV. ART cannot cure HIV, but these HIV medicines help people with HIV live long, healthy lives. ART also reduces the risk of HIV transmission.
How do HIV medicines work?
HIV attacks and destroys the infection-fighting CD4 T lymphocytes (CD4 cells) of the immune system. Loss of CD4 cells makes it hard for the body to fight off infections, including opportunistic infections and some HIV-related cancers.
HIV medicines prevent HIV from multiplying (making copies of itself), which reduces the amount of HIV in the body (called the viral load). Having less HIV in the body gives the immune system a chance to recover and produce more infection-fighting CD4 cells. Although there may still be HIV in the body, the additional CD4 cells keep the immune system strong enough to fight off infections.
By reducing the amount of HIV in the body, HIV medicines also reduce the risk of HIV transmission. One of the main goals of HIV treatment is to reduce a person’s viral load to an undetectable level. People with HIV who maintain an undetectable viral load have effectively no risk of transmitting HIV through sex, and a significantly lower risk of transmission through other means (such as shared needles).
When is it time to start taking HIV medicines?
People with HIV should start taking HIV medicines as soon as possible after an HIV diagnosis. It is especially important for people with AIDS-defining conditions or within 6 months of HIV infection (called early HIV infection) to start HIV medicines right away.
Women with HIV who become pregnant and are not already taking HIV medicines should also start taking HIV medicines as soon as possible. It is important for people with HIV to take their HIV medicines as prescribed, which could be every day (pills) or every one or two months (injections).
¿Qué medicamentos contra el VIH están incluidos en un régimen de tratamiento contra el VIH?
Hay muchos medicamentos contra el VIH disponibles para regímenes para el tratamiento contra el VIH. Los medicamentos contra el VIH están agrupados en siete clases de medicamentos según la forma en que combaten dicha infección.
La selección de un régimen de tratamiento de la infección por el VIH depende de las necesidades particulares de cada persona. Al escoger ese régimen, las personas seropositivas y sus proveedores de atención de salud tienen en cuenta muchos factores, incluso los posibles efectos secundarios de los medicamentos contra el virus y sus posibles interacciones medicamentosas.
What should people know about taking HIV medicines?
Taking HIV medicines keeps people with HIV healthy and prevents HIV transmission. Taking HIV medicines exactly as prescribed (called medication adherence) also reduces the risk of drug resistance.
However, sometimes HIV medicines can cause side effects. Most side effects from HIV medicines are manageable, but a few can be serious. Overall, the benefits of HIV medicines far outweigh the risk of side effects.
In some cases, HIV medicines can interact with other medicines in an HIV treatment regimen or with other medicines a person is taking. Health care providers carefully consider potential drug interactions before recommending an HIV treatment regimen.
If you believe you are experiencing side effects from HIV medicines, it is important to consult with your health care provider before stopping or adjusting your normal treatment regimen.
¿Dónde puedo obtener más información acerca del tratamiento contra el VIH?
Lea las otras hojas informativas de HIVinfo en la serie sobre el tratamiento para la infección por el VIH para aprender más sobre el tratamiento contra el VIH. Los temas cubiertos en la serie incluyen:
- Cuándo empezar los medicamentos contra el VIH
- Con qué empezar: Cómo seleccionar un régimen inicial para el tratamiento del VIH
- Medicamentos contra el VIH autorizados por la FDA
- Cumplimiento del régimen de medicamentos contra el VIH
- Resistencia a los medicamentos
- ¿Qué es una interacción medicamentosa?
La hoja informativa precedente se basa en la correspondiente en inglés.
Véase también una colección de enlaces y recursos sobre el VIH en HIV Source.